For the Love of an Angel
by AvatarAmidala1985
Summary: Instead of becoming horrifed about Erik, Christine starts to fall in love with Erik durring her visit to Erik's underground home. Leroux and Kay based Erik and Christine story.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does.

Chapter 1

Because there was chaos in the Opera House, it took Christine twice as long as it usually took for her to get back to her dressing room. All anyone could seem to talk about tonight was what everyone was calling the Opera House Disaster. After Christine's success in the role of Marguerite in Faust, she was pushed back into the role of Siebel because of the demands of the Prima Donna, La Carlotta. While Carlotta was a young and talented singer, she was too proud and boastful for an ingenue role like Marguerite.

But the Italian opera star insisted that only she deserved the starring female roles. The managers caved into Carlotta's demands even though other people were starting to say that sixteen year old Christine was better suited for the role of the ingenue. With her large dark blue eyes that almost looked violet, golden curls, porcelain doll like features, and angelic voice made her a much better ingenue than the twenty two year old Carlotta with her auburn hair, catty green eyes, and seductive voice.

At first the opera started without any problems. But when Carlotta started to sing the Jewel Song she started to croak instead. It wasn't like Carlotta has a sudden case of laryngitis, her voice seemed to have transformed into the croak of a toad. After a few attempts to sing, Carlotta left the stage in tears.

Because Christine was a kind hearted soul and hated to see someone upset, even if that person was Carlotta who had spent the last few weeks trying to make Christine's life a living hell, she went to comfort the diva right before she had to get ready to take Carlotta's place as Marguerite. It turned out that when Christine arrived at Carlotta's dressing room, no one could console the distraught singer, not even her best friends, La Sorelli. Christine then found out the reason that Carlotta insisted on being the ingenue was because she thought that if she gave up those roles she would be admitting that she was becoming an old woman. Carlotta didn't even like being in the role of what she called a simple minded ninny. Even though Christine silently disagreed since she preferred the more innocent roles like Marguerite and Juliet, all she could do was sit there and agree.

Christine assured Carlotta that she felt that twenty two was the prime of someone's life. Christine told Carlotta that she felt that the Italian diva was better suited for roles like Lucrezia Borgia and Lady Macbeth. Christine must have said the right thing because Carlotta pulled Christine into a hug. She told Christine that she preferred those type of roles and that Christine could have all the silly ingenue she wanted. Carlotta then decided to make Christine her protégé, which would be the start of a very strange friendship.

Just then a group of ballerinas were running through the hallways screaming that the chandelier fell on the audience. In spite of the size of the chandelier, it seemed that only one person had died, a concierge that was supposed to take the place of Meg's mother, Annette Giry as box manager and ballet instructor. While being extremely naïve, she was smart enough to realize that something the size of the chandelier would have killed more than one person. Christine quickly ran out of Carlotta's dressing room and found her friend, Meg Giry, one of the few ballerinas with common sense.

Meg and Christine were very close friends and acted like sisters. With her thick black hair, light olive complexion, and chocolate colored eyes that sometimes looked like they were black, Meg was already gaining many admirers, in spite of the fact that she was only sixteen years old. It was even stated that one day Meg would take La Sorelli's place as prima ballerina.

Meg told Christine that only pieces of the chandelier had fallen onto the audience, not the whole entire chandelier. It was a counter weight that had delivered the killing blow to the concierge by smashing in the woman's skull. Meg calmly stated that people were stating that the entire chandelier fell on the audience because it made a better story than saying that pieces of the chandelier fell on the audience because it was an old chandelier that the managers refused to make sure that it was safe to sit under.

In spite of fact that there were people like Meg who were trying to tell the truth about what happened, that didn't keep people from spreading silly rumors. Most of them involved the Phantom of the Opera being the person who dropped the chandelier. The managers even had the gall to claim that they heard the Phantom tell them that Carlotta was singing to bring down the chandelier. That was a rumor that Christine found the most ridiculous because she knew for a fact that Carlotta wasn't even on the stage when the chandelier incident happened.

At that point Raoul found Christine and led her to the dressing room since he was worried about what could have happened to her if she was alone. While it took her twice as long as it usually took for her to arrive to her dressing room, it probably would have taken her much longer if Raoul hadn't been escorting her to her dressing room. Raoul is such a sweet guy, I hope that he finds a woman to love him, thought Christine. In spite of the fact that Raoul had expressed interest in courting her, she didn't love him that way.

As Christine walked into her dressing room, she pulled of the cap that was part of the Siebel costume and let her curls tumble down her back. Just then she heard the soft strains of a violin music coming from the large mirror in her room. While Christine had one of the smallest dressing rooms in the whole entire opera house, it was also one of the most beautiful with the elegant decorations and the large mirror with the beautifully ornate golden from around it.

The violin music was the Resurrection of Lazarus, it was her father's favorite songs when he was still alive. She instantly knew that it was her Angel of Music playing the violin music. While Christine had a hard time believing in the Phantom of the Opera, she had no problem with believing that her dead father sent her an Angel of Music just to give her singing lessons.

When Christine's father, Gustave Daae, died two years ago, Christine lost her will to sing. Her guardian, Mama Velerius, had gotten her a job in the chorus of the Paris Opera House hoping that it would give her inspiration to sing again. While Christine became friends with Meg and Cecile Jammes, a young ballerina about the same age as Meg who was called "Little Jammes," Christine couldn't find the will to sing and when she did it was mediocre at best.

Not long after she had joined the Opera House, she started here a beautiful voice singing to her whenever she walked into her dressing room. It was a tenor voice that put the voice of Carolus Fonta, the current tenor of the Paris Opera House to shame. Christine found comfort in the voice and when she told Mama Valerius about the voice, the much older woman suggested that he was her Angel of Music. So one day found the courage to ask the voice if he was the Angel of Music that had been sent by her father from Heaven. After a moment of hesitation, the voice answered that he was the Angel of Music and he had come to give her singing lessons because he believed that she had the potential to become the next prima donna. It was because of her singing lessons with her Angel, Christine was able to regain her will and confidence to sing, her voice even soared to new heights that she had never thought possible.

Just then Christine found herself walking towards the mirror. The violin's song was beckoning her towards the mirror like the caress of a lover. The Angel's voice then joined the violin, beckoning her to come closer to the mirror. All of the sudden Christine was surrounded by darkness. At the time Christine was too entranced by the song for her to realize that the mirror in her dressing room was also a door and that she had just walked into the passages of the Opera House's vast cellars.

Christine then started to shiver with fright. Ever since she was a little girl, she had been afraid of the dark. Just then a hand that was covered with a leather glove grabbed her hand. The man was holding a lantern so she was able to see what he looked like. He was a tall thin man that was wearing a black that was a little too big for her thin frame and black hooded cloak that covered his head. But she was still able to see that his face was covered with a black leather mask that covered his entire face and his eyes were a pair of glowing golden lights.

"Whoever you are, please don't harm me," cried Christine. "Don't be afraid, Christine, you are in no danger," said the man. Christine let out a gasp of surprise, this man was her Angel of Music. "Angel, is that you," asked Christine. "It is true Christine, but I am not really Angel, nor a ghost, nor a genius, I am just Erik," said Erik. After finding out that this man was her Angel of Music and the infamous Phantom of the Opera, all Christine could do was faint into his arms.

* * *

Once Erik caught Christine in his arms, he started to carry her through the cellars of the Opera House. Erik enjoyed the feeling of the young woman in his arms. At the same time he slightly worried about the fact that he might be doing it wrong. Also it didn't seem too promising that Christine had just fainted in his arms. Erik, you are a fool to think that Christine will ever see me as anything but a monster, thought Erik in despair.

But Erik had to try to woo her. He had loved her ever since he saw her two years ago. At first he was content to being just her Angel of Music, but that was before Raoul came into the picture. The twenty year old Vicomte was you and handsom, everything that Erik wasn't. So Erik decided to take her down to his home in the fifth cellar and woo her while hoping that Christine would fall in love with him. Since Erik didn't want Christine's disappearance to cause problems, he left a letter with Annette Giry saying that Christine was going to take some time off and stay with him. The note also mentioned that he had nothing to do with what happened to the chandelier. If I am to be accused of something, at least let it be for something that I have actually done, thought Erik.

At one point, Erik found the white horse Cesar. Erik had "borrowed" Cesar that morning from stables of the Opera House so he could use the horse to take Christine to the lake that led to his home. Erik then placed Christine onto Cesar's back and started to led the horse through the cellars.

Once Erik reached the fifth cellar, he led Cesar to well that was close to the underground lake that Erik used to get water for drinking and bathing. He then pulled Christine off Cesar and put her onto his lap. " You may go back to the stables, my friend," Erik said to Cesar. The horse then stated to run back to the stables, since Cesar was a smart horse, Erik wasn't worried that the horse would end up lost in the cellars.

Erik then dipped his hand into the well and started to wash the temples of Christine's forehead. The combination of the cool water on Christine's forehead and Erik's musky scent caused Christine to start to wake up. The young woman started to sit up, but she was still sitting in his lap and was leaning on his chest. Unlike his introduction to her, Christine seemed happy to see him.

She then pulled the hood of his cloak away from his head and started to run her fingers through his short black hair. "You are real, Erik," asked Christine with child like innocence in her voice. "Yes, I am a real man who loves you. I would like for you to stay at my home with me for a couple of weeks. I hope that during your stay with me, you will grow to love me," said Erik. "I would love to stay at your home, Erik," said Christine. For the first time in a very long time, Erik felt a spark of hope.

* * *

Raoul impatiently waited outside Christine's dressing room with Meg Giry and Cecile Jammes while he was waiting for Christine. Raoul had hoped that he could take Christine to dinner that night along with his brother Philippe and La Sorelli. But it was taking her to long for her to change into her regular clothes and he might have to leave her there since his brother could get quite impatient when he was forced to wait, especially when he was hungry.

"It usually doesn't take Christine this long for Christine to after a performance to change into her regular clothes," said Meg as she twirled her thick black braid around one of her fingers. "Maybes she is in the clutches of the Phantom of the Opera," said Cecile which caused her to tremble which made her copper colored ringlets to quiver. "Do you think that it possible," asked Raoul. "Cecile, don't say such silly things, I have heard from mamman told me that the Phantom has a soft spot for Christine, so he would never do anything to harm her," said Meg.

Just then the small group heard Richard and Moncharmin yelling at Meg's mother, Madame Annette Giry. "What do you mean Christine won't be here for a couple of weeks," yelled Richard which caused spittle to fly onto Annette's face. In spite of the tempers of the managers, Annette was able to retain her calm. "It means exactly what I told you. Christine will be staying with the Phantom for a couple of weeks. He also displays displeasure at the fact that are accusing of him of what happened to the chandelier," said Annette.

At the mention of the Phantom, the color drained from the faces of the managers. "Well if that is the case, I think that Christine deserves to have a rest. Just as long as she is willing to return since Carlotta wants to take on more mature roles and she said that Christine should be the ingenue," said Moncharmin. "Of course she will return, the Phantom says that he won't deprive Paris of his prima donna," said Annette.

"Is it true that Christine is with the Phantom," asked Raoul when the managers when they left Annette alone. "I know that Christine is a good friend of yours, so I will assure you that as long as Christine is with the Phantom, nothing will harm her," said Annette as she led Meg and Cecile away.

But I love her, thought Raoul as he raked his fingers through his short light brown hair. In spite of the assurances from Madame Giry, Raoul didn't know if he should believe that Christine was safe. Raoul had heard a lot about this Phantom of the Opera and most of it wasn't good. In fact it seemed like only the Giry's had anything positive to say about the Phantom.

After a couple of minutes, Raoul started to make his way back to the de Chagny carriage. Sitting in the carriage was Raoul's older brother Philippe and his current mistress, Bianca Sorelli. While La Sorelli was Philippe's mistress, something told Raoul that Philippe would soon propose to the prima ballerina since Philippe had told Raoul that he had never loved a woman as much as he loved his Bianca.

"Little brother, where is Christine, I thought you told me that you wanted to invite her to dinner with us," said Philippe. "She couldn't make it," said Raoul who couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. "That's too bad, little brother. But maybe this is so the best," said Philippe with sympathy in his voice. As the carriage drove away, Raoul hoped that Christine really was safe.

Author's Note: I may be a fan of Erik and Christine as a couple, but this is making me feel bad for Raoul. Just to let everyone know, I have opened a poll on my profile page and I would like for the fans to vote for who you would like to see Raoul with in this fic. Also just so you know, here are some ages of the characters that will be playing a big part in this fic:

Christine Daae: 16

Erik: 40

Raoul de Chagny: 20

Meg Giry: 16

Cecile Jammes: 14

Annette Giry: 45

Nadir Khan: 50

Bianca Sorelli: 22

Carlotta Guidicelli: 22

Philippe de Chagny: 40


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does.

Chapter 2

Christine let her fingers dance across the surface of the underground lake as Erik was rowing the gondola. Christine couldn't believe that her Angel of Music was a living man. Most people would have been afraid of a situation like this, but Christine with her almost child like innocence knew that Erik would never harm her.

Just then the boat was docked on the other side of the shore. He then helped her out of the gondola and led her to a door had been carved into the stone wall. Christine didn't know what to expect from Erik's home, but it wasn't this. The main sitting room was in an elegant Persian design. The room was also bathed in a soft candlelight that was coming from oil lamps. There were multiple book cases filled with many books in all types of languages. In the middle of the room was a grand piano.

"This is so beautiful, Erik," said Christine with awe in her voice. "I have collected everything from my travels," said Erik. It was hard for Christine to believe that something like this was in the cellars of the opera house.

"Come with me Christine, I have made you dinner," said Erik as he shrugged off his cloak. Aside from hanging off his frame a little bit and the black leather mask on his face, Erik looked like any gentleman coming to watch the opera. He then took her hand and led her to the dinning room.

The dinning room looked like something that you would find in a high class café of Paris. At the table was every one of Christine's favorite dishes. "This is wonderful. Thank you very much," said Christine. Since she had grown up in a very humble peasant home, she wasn't used to such elegance. "You deserve to have the best," said Erik as he led her to a chair. As she started to eat she noticed that Erik wasn't touching any of the food even though he sat next to her.

"Are you hungry," asked Christine. "No, I'm not very hungry. I ate dinner right before I brought you here, besides I usually don't need that much food," said Erik. No wonder he is so skinny, thought Christine. Christine was only a little bit thinner than Erik, but her weight was normal for her since she wasn't very tall. Erik on the other hand had to be over six feet tall, so his weight wasn't that healthy for him.

But the oddest thing about Erik was the mask he was wearing. The piece of black leather covered his entire face and left only his eyes visible to her. He also showed no desire of wanting to move it at all. "Why do you wear that mask? You don't have to wear it when I am around," said Christine cheerfully as she started to reach for the mask.

Before her hands reached the mask, Erik grabbed her hands. "You will be safe as long as you never touch the mask," said Erik ominously. "I am sorry, Erik. I thought that it would be more conferrable for you to take off the mask," said Christine weakly. "I shouldn't have overreacted, but I have a very good reason for wearing this mask. Will you ever forgive me," asked Erik. "Of course," said Christine.

After that the meal was finished in silence. When the meal was finished, Erik took her to a room that looked like it belonged to a princess. Lying on the bed was a beautiful Siamese cat wearing a diamond studded collar. "This is the room you will be staying in during your stay here. The spoiled little princess is Ayesha," said Erik as he picked up the cat.

When Ayesha cuddled with Erik, Christine felt a slight twinge of jealousy. She wished that Erik would show his affection to her as he did with his cat. I can't believe this, I am jealous of a cat, thought Christine.

"I have some clothes for you in the drawers over there, I will return the Siebel costume tomorrow," said Erik as he pointed at the closet with his free hand. When Erik left the room with Ayesha, she opened the closet to see what type of selection she had. She found a beautiful white night gown trimmed with spring wild flowers. Once she changed into the night gown, she folded the Siebel costume and placed it by the door of her room.

Because of her fear of the dark, she left the lamps on as she slipped under the sheets. As she was falling asleep she wondered how Erik was expecting her to fall in love with him when he didn't let her see his face.

* * *

You will be safe as long as you never touch the mask, Christine must have thought I was a psycho when I said that, thought Erik as he walked into his room with Ayesha. The cat jumped from his arms and curled up in the cat bed. Erik then changed into a pair of black pajamas. The last thing he did before he lay down in the coffin he used as a bed was pull off his mask.

But Erik found that he couldn't fall asleep. Now that Christine was in his home, he found that he wanted to be with her all the time. Erik then got out of his bed and put of a mask. Unlike the previous mask, this one was a white porcelain mask. It also left his chin and mouth exposed.

"Come on Ayesha, lets go to Christine's room," said Erik as he was pulling on some Persian robes. As Erik was walking to Christine's room Ayesha followed him. When Erik walked into Christine's room, he saw that Christine was already asleep. Erik then lay next to Christine and Ayesha curled up at the foot of the bed. After Erik wrapped his arms around Christine, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does.

Chapter 3

When Christine woke up the next morning, the first thing she saw was Erik lying right by her. Usually Christine would have been horrified with a situation like this, but there was something innocent and almost childlike about Erik that made it easy for Christine to forgive him. Aside from wearing black pajamas and Persian style robes, Christine noticed that he was wearing a different mask.

Though Christine wanted to see Erik's unmasked face, she preferred this white porcelain mask over the black leather mask he wore when she saw him for the first time last night. Since Erik was asleep at that point, Christine wondered if she could sneak a peek at his face.

Before Christine could reach towards Erik's mask, he started to wake up. "Good morning, Erik," said Christine with a smile on her face. "Oh Christine, I'm so sorry that I fell asleep here. I just wanted to see you, but I accidentally fell asleep," said Erik weakly. "It's alright Erik, I liked waking up find you here with me," said Christine as she grabbed his bony hand.

A smile appeared on Erik's very thin lips. "How did I get someone as understanding as you in my life. My luck must be turning around," said Erik. Christine wondered what happened to Erik to make him think that he was cursed with bad luck. "You must be hungry, while you get ready for the day, I will get breakfast ready for you. Everything you need to get ready is in the bath room over there," said Erik as he pointed at another door in the room before he left the room while Ayesha followed him.

In the closet Christine found a dress that was the same shade blue as her eyes which was a dark blue with hints of violet in it. Christine walked into the bathroom and let out a gasp of surprise and awe. The floor and walls had a mosaic pattern on it. There was a marble bath tub in the middle of the room. There was even a vanity table with all types of cosmetics on it.

While for some unknown reason Erik bathed with the water he gathered from the well across the lake, he had the bath room set up with indoor plumbing. Christine felt like she was in a smaller version of a royal bath house. Coming from humble beginnings, she wasn't used to such luxury. But at the same time she silently vowed that she wouldn't let it all go to her head.

After filling the bath tub with warm water, she slipped into the tub letting out a moan of pleasure. While she was taking her bath, she wondered how her friends and family were doing in her absence. While Erik assured her that he had sent a letter she would be away for a while, she knew that some people would still be worried about her. Her main concern was for Raoul.

Christine had met Raoul when she was ten years old and he was fourteen. They had become very good friends when he saved her beloved red scarf from the sea. The scarf had been very important to Christine because her mother mad it for her right before she died when Christine was only six years old.

Since Raoul was staying at the home of an elderly aunt close to the small town of Perros-Guirec in Brittany when they met, Christine's father was hired to teach Raoul how to play the violin. While Raoul would never become a musical prodigy like Gustave Daae or Erik the Angel of Music, he was still talented at playing the violin. Raoul and Christine were playmates until the end of summer when Raoul had to go back to school and living with his much older brother.

Raoul and Christine didn't see each other again until four years later when her father was dying. At the time Raoul was training to become an officer in the French Navy, but Raoul still found time to comfort her while her father was dying. What Christine didn't know was that Raoul was falling in love with her.

After Gustave died, Raoul had to go on some sort of expedition for the navy while Christine started began her career at the opera. While Christine could never love Raoul the way he loved her, she still hoped that her disappearance didn't cause him to worry.

After Christine got out of the bath tub, she pulled on her dress. She then sat at the vanity table and started to fix up her hair. After she put on a little bit of make up, she went back to the dinning room. A delicious breakfast was set up for her, but she couldn't find Erik.

Christine then saw a note addressed to her with Erik's childish writing. The note said that he had some errands to run, but he would be back in the early afternoon so they could have singing lessons. She then started to eat her breakfast right before she went to the sitting room to read while she waited for Erik to return while Ayesha sat in her lap.

* * *

Raoul walked into the home of Christine's foster mother, Mama Valerius with a violin case in one of his hands. A young woman in a simple black dress was cleaning the sitting room.

"Madmoiselle, I am Vicomte Raoul de Chagney, is this the home of Lucille Valerius," asked Raoul. "Yes it is, I am her personal maid, Maria," said the young woman, Maria. "I didn't know that she had a maid," said Raoul. "I was recently hired by Madmoiselle Daae after she started to get better roles in the opera," said Maria.

"I have come to visit Madame Valerius if she is able receive visitors," said Raoul. "Of course, I think that she would be delighted to see you," said Maria right before she led Raoul upstairs. Once Raoul was led to Mama Valerius's room, Maria walked away.

Sitting in a rocking chair was a plump pleasant looking older woman. When her eyes landed on Raoul a smile appeared on her lips. "Oh Raoul, it is so good to see you. Have you come to play me a song," asked Mama Valerius as she looked at the violin case.

Raoul then pulled out his violin and started to play a song that Christine's father used to play when he and Christine were younger. While he could never be as talented as Christine's father or her Angel of Music, he had become a quite a decent violinist. When he was done, Mama Valerius started to applaud.

"Bravo, though I am sure that you have here for other reasons besides giving me that little concert," said Mama Valerius. "I wanted to ask you questions about Christine and her Angel of Music," said Raoul. "That man is a blessing from Heaven," said Mama Valerius.

"Man? So you believe that he is a living breathing man and not an actual Angel," said Raoul with shock in his voice. "Of course I believe that he is a man. He must be a man that has a lot of influence at the Opera House since he was able to convince the managers to give Christine better parts in the Operas," said Mama Valerius.

"You don't think this Angel might really be some scoundrel that wants to take advantage of Christine's innocence," said Raoul. "Of course not, if I even suspected that his intentions were impure, I wouldn't let Christine continue her career at the Opera House," said Mama Valerius.

"But this man is having Christine live with him for a couple of weeks," said Raoul. "That is because he is going to woo her and make her his bride someday. I know that you think that you are in love with Christine, but her heart belongs to her Angel of Music," said Mama Valerius. When Raoul left, he was more confused than when he had arrived.

* * *

While Erik was running his errands, he that saw Annette Giry and Nadir Khan were following him. "Shouldn't you be at rehearsals with the ballerinas, Annette," asked Erik as he turned around to look at them. "I just want to make sure that Christine is safe with you," said Annette.

"You shouldn't be keeping this girl in the cellars of the Opera House against her will," said Nadir. "I am not keeping Christine in the Opera House cellars against her will. She is staying with me because she loves me for who I am," said Erik. "Why do I find that hard to believe," said Nadir.

Because of the black mask he was wearing along with his black hat and black scarf that was wrapped around his face until it reached the place where Erik should have had a nose, no one was able to see the look of anger that crossed his face. "Christine does love me and soon we will have our wedding at the Madeline," said Erik with conviction and an edge of anger in his voice.

Annette then placed her hand on Erik's gloved hand. "I would be happy for you if Christine could fall in love with you, but how can you expect her to fall in love with you when she has never seen your face," said Annette. "I will show her my face eventually," said Erik. Erik wanted to be sure that Christine wouldn't become horrified with Erik's face when she saw it for the first time.

"Why choose Christine of all women? You never showed any romantic interest in anyone until Christine came to the Opera House," said Nadir. "When Christine came to the Opera House, spider snuck into the dressing room of the chorus girls.

"Most of the girls wanted to kill the spider, but Christine picked it up with her bare hands. She then asked the other chorus girls why they wanted this spider to die when it wasn't doing anything wrong. One of the chorus girls then said that the spider was ugly and that is was reason enough for it to die which caused Christine to become very angry.

"Christine told the chorus girl that just because the spider wasn't beautiful like a butterfly that didn't give that girl the right to pass that sort of judgment on the spider. Christine then left the room and put the spider in a safe place. As I got to see her more, I fell in love with her. I knew that if she could show kindness to a spider, there could be a chance that she could love me," said Erik.

At that point Annette was wiping the tears from her eyes. "I didn't know it was like that. I really do hope that you will be able to have Christine fall in love with you," said Nadir. "I hope so too," said Erik.

Author's Note: I am most likely going to have Erik's unmasking in the next chapter, what I want to know is do you want to see an unmasking like what is in the book and musical, or do you want to see one where Erik is willing to unmask himself in front of Christine?


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does.

Author's Note: To any Harry Potter fans reading this fic, I am thinking about writing a fic about Albus Potter's first year at Hogwarts, I would like for you to vote on the poll that is on my profile page to see what house he should be sorted into. Also while I stated that Meg was 14 in the first chapter, I decided to change her age to 16.

Chapter 4

In spite of the fact that there wouldn't be any operas until the chandelier was repaired, there was still going to be rehearsals. Though to tell the truth it didn't seem like much of a rehearsal since Madame Giry was still on her errands, right now most of the ballerinas and chorus girls were flirting with the men that were hired to work on the chandelier. Carlotta who had become much more tolerable since her croaking incident on the stage was talking to the man she was courting, plump and friendly Italian baritone named Piangi. Meg and Sorelli were the only ballerinas who were dancing while the tenor, Carolus Fonta was watching Sorelli with lust in his eyes. It was true that Fonta was attracted to Sorelli, but she didn't pay attention to him because she loved Philippe. Poor Cecile Jammes was being scolded by her mother.

Just then Annette Giry walked into the room. "Why is it that only my daughter and Sorelli are dancing? Also Madame Jammes you should leave, your daughter needs to practice," said Annette in a stern voice.

Madame Jammes was cursing under her breath while she left and the ballerinas started to practice. Annette was walking around and eyed each ballerina with a stern gaze. When one of the ballerinas needed to be corrected, she made sure that they knew that they were corrected without trying to embarrass them. While Annette Giry was a stern woman, she was also very kind and didn't like to make the ballerinas feel inferior. As Meg turned to face Box 5, she saw the shadow of a man. She knew that man was Erik the Phantom of the Opera. Meg had actually met Erik, the Phantom and talked to him. She didn't see why everyone feared him like they did. All Meg saw was a kind and brilliant man in a mask who was also bitter and eccentric because fate gave him a face that made it impossible to see his genius. But Meg was able to see it, he was her uncle after all.

Annette was the eldest daughter of a young famous architect named Charles and an aspiring opera singer named Madeline. The young and loving couple lived in Northern France where they doted upon their charming daughter.

But things changed for Annette and her mother when Charles died in an accident at the building that he was designing when Annette was five years old and Madeline was seven months pregnant with her second child. Madeline who had always been a bit spoiled became much worse after this happened and the birth of her son Erik didn't help either because of his deformed face. If it hadn't been for Annette and Madeline's childhood friend, Marie, Erik would have died from neglect. Annette had once told Meg that her mother's own dog had made a better mother to Erik than Madeline was.

After ten years of abuse and neglect, Erik ran away from home because their mother's lover wanted to put him in an insane asylum. Madeline didn't want to marry the man and was devastated by the fact that Erik had run away because she was now willing to be a good mother to him. But to Annette, the damage had been done to Erik and no amount of words saying that she was willing to change couldn't change that fact, so Annette married the man she had been courting, Jules Giry who was ten years older than her and the couple moved to Paris to get away from this village.

In Paris Jules became a banker and Annette discovered a talent for dancing and became a ballerina. Because of her career, Annette waited until she was twenty nine years old to have a child.

Annette told Meg that if it wasn't for her, Annette didn't think that she would have survived the death of her husband two years later.

It was while Erik was helping Charles Garnier work on the Opera House of Paris, Annette found herself reunited with Erik. When the Opera House was finished opened in the year 1875, Erik was able to get Annette a job as the ballet instructor and she was also in charge of keeping Box 5 nice and clean for Erik. When Meg was old enough, Erik got her a position in the ballet since she had gained her mother's talent for dancing. Even though Madeline was trying to reconnect with her daughter, Annette wanted nothing to do with her and she didn't even tell her mother that Erik was still alive.

Meg had seen Erik fall in love with Christine when she came to the Opera House to become a chorus girl. At first Meg was a little freaked out that her uncle wanted to marry a young woman that was the same age as her. But now she hoped that Christine would be able to realize that Erik was perfect for her.

* * *

While Erik was still out on his errands, Christine got bored waiting for him. She then started to walk around his home to see what wonders Erik's home held. While she was walking through the underground home, Ayesha would follow her around. The cat would purr with delight when Christine said something to her. Once she got to the final door, she knew that it had to be to the door to Erik's room.

She let out a gasp of shock once she stepped into the room. It was mostly designed in reds and blacks. Instead of a bed there was a coffin. There was a mannequin of her dressed in a wedding dress. She walked over and let her fingers caress one of the lacey sleeves. In spite of the fact that it was kind of creepy, she thought that the dress was beautiful.

Christine let out a cry of delight when she saw a pipe organ that took up one of the walls. Christine always loved the pipe organ, it made her feel at peace when she listened to it while it was being played during mass. In fact the only instrument she loved more than the pipe organ was the violin.

When Christine ran over to the pipe organ, she let her fingers run over some of the keys. She smiled at the sound that came from the instrument. She then saw some pieces of parchment on the organ. "Don Juan Triumphant," said Christine as she read the title that was read the title that was in Erik's childish hand writing and in red ink.

I didn't know that Erik was writing an opera, thought Christine. The page it was on right now was a love song between Don Juan and Aminta, a young Ingenue that he was in love with. Somehow Christine knew that she was meant for the role of Aminta. She then sang a couple of Aminta's lines from the song. She felt like Aminta's innocent passion for Don Juan was the way that she felt about Erik.

"That role was written for you, Christine," said Erik who was standing in the doorway of the room.

"Oh Erik, this is so beautiful. You should give this to the managers, then you could have it performed on the stage," said Christine.

"I don't think that the managers would want to perform the opera that was written by the Opera Ghost. But I have something I want to show you, I have been thinking and I feel that you need to see my unmasked face," said Erik.

"You want me to see your unmasked face, I am so happy," said Christine with a smile.

"You might change your mind once you see my face," said Erik as his hands started to reach for the piece of black leather that was used for his mask.

Once the mask was pulled from his face, Christine was able to see his face for the first time. His skin was very pale with a hint of yellow to it. His skin looked like it was tightly pulled across his skull so Christine was able to see the bones of his skull. Instead of a nose, there was a hole like Joseph Bouquet had said when he had told anyone who would listen about the time he saw the Opera Ghost without his mask on. His eyes were sunken into his skull and were surrounded by dark circles. There were also scars on his face which must have come from being cut by a knife.

"My poor Erik, why was this done to you," said Christine.

"This is nothing compared to the scars on my back. As for the reason why they did this to me, I am a hideous monster," said Erik.

"You are not a monster, if you were a monster, would I touch you like this," said Christine as her hands reached up and caressed Erik's cheek.

"Christine," said Erik softly as a content sigh escaped his lips.

"If you were a monster, would I kiss you like this," asked Christine as she stood on the tips of her toes so she could kiss him on the lips.

* * *

Since Erik hadn't been listening to Christine had said to him, he was shocked when he felt her lips softly press against his lips. My first kiss, thought Erik as tears stung his eyes.

Erik had always wondered what a kiss felt like even if it was just a little kiss on the cheek or forehead. But since no one was ever willing to kiss him, he just convinced himself that kisses weren't that great after all. The memory of his mother refusing to kiss him when he was five years old even though he begged for her to do it, still haunted Erik.

But now Erik knew the truth. A kiss was so wonderful that Erik could almost call it a spiritual experience. At first Erik just stood there in shock, but then he started to return the kiss that Christine was giving him. While he was kissing her, Erik started to run his fingers thorough her hair.

"Christine why did you kiss me like that," asked Erik right after they pulled away from the kiss. Erik was ashamed that the tears he was trying to hold back were now starting to fall from his eyes.

"Isn't it obvious Erik, I love you. Nothing can change the fact that you are my Angel nor can it change the way I feel about you," said Christine as she started to wipe the tears from his face as she started to cry along with him.

Author's Note: I know that it has never been stated in the Gaston Leroux novel that Madame Giry was Erik's sister and Phantom by Susan Kay it is stated that Erik was an only child, but I always felt that Madame Giry always a connection that was stronger than the fact that Erik was kind of like her boss. I am also trying to come up with a last name for Erik, does anyone have any ideas?


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does.

Chapter 5

"Out of all the uses I had thought up for my torture chamber, a romantic picnic deffinetly wasn't one of them," said Erik right before he smoked from his opium pipe. When Erik lived in Persia he became addicted to opium. For a while he tried morphine while he was in Paris, but decided to stick with opium because he showed more restraint with opium because he feared he would ruin his voice while he smoked.

Erik now had his white porcelain mask on, no matter how much his face didn't matter to Christine, he was still had a enough fear of it that he still had to wear his mask especially when he was in a room filled with mirrors. Christine on the other hand was rolling a little ball that Ayesha was chasing. They were sitting under the metal tree in the middle of the room that bore birds and flowers made out of jewels. The mirror walls reflected their image so it made it look like more than one couple that looked exactly like them was having a picnic. There was even a little basket filled with fresh pastries close by.

"This place is lovely, I don't see why you call it a torture chamber," said Christine with an innocent smile.

"Looks can be decieveing, just promise me that you will never come in this room alone, it can be very dangerous," said Erik who decided that it wasn't a good idea to tell her that this was the place that Joseph Bouquet met his untimely end in.

"I promise," said Christine.

Just then Erik heard the alarm that meant that an intruder was out on the lake. It must be the daroga, thought Erik in annoyance. Erik then jumped up and ran out of the room, Christine and Ayesha followed him. Once outside Erik could hear someone flailing around in the water of the lake. Erik pulled off his mask and jacket, he then threw them on the ground before he jumped into the lake.

It didn't take long for Erik to find Nadir who was caught in one of the traps that Erik had set up in the lake. Since the gondola was on Erik's side of the lake he guessed that Nadir tried to swim across the lake and got caught in the trap. Erik was able to pull Nadir out of the trap and got him to his side of the lake.

Not caring that she would get wet, Christine knelt next to Erik and threw her arms around him. Ayesha on the other hand kept a safe distance away from them, but Erik couldn't really blame her cats hated water and the lake water wasn't exactly the best water ever. Erik then let out a content sigh when Chirstine softly pressed her lips to his lips. When they pulled apart Erik looked over and saw that Nadir was still coughing up the water that got into his lungs.

"Daroga what were you trying to do, you know I have traps in the lake that could have killed you," said Erik as he picked up his mask and saw that it was now broken. I need to be more careful with my masks, thought Erik.

"I wanted to see if Mamoiselle Daae was alright," said Nadir.

"There is nothing to worry about, Christine loves me. She saw my unmasked face and kissed me on the lips," said Erik.

"Is that true, you found someone to love you in spite of your face," said Nadir with shock in his voice.

"It is true Monsuier Daroga, I love Erik, he is my angel after all," said Christine.

"Call me Nadir, Daroga is just a nickname that Erik calls me by," said Nadir.

"Only if you call me Christine," said Christine.

"Isn't Christine adorable," said Erik with a smile.

"Yes, she is very adorable, but a lot of people are worried about her safety. Some people think that she in danger because you kidnapped her," said Nadir.

"Christine hasn't even been gone for a day, besides I have left a not with both the managers and Madame Valerius, they know where Christine is and they should know that no harm will come to her while she is with me," said Erik as he waved his hand in annoyance.

"The managers think you are a monster who would drop the chandelier on them if they don't follow your orders," said Nadir.

"You know that I had nothing to do with that and the managers are very rude for spreading false rumors about me. Besides only the counter weight fell on the audience, not the entire chandelier, things like entire chandelier falling on the audience only happen in cheap gothic novels," said Erik.

"It was enough to cause people to panic, you are my friend Erik and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you," said Nadir.

"What if everyone saw me at a very public event," said Christine.

"What do you have in mind," asked Erik.

"Every year the opera house holds a masqurade ball, if I show up it may be enough to keep people from worrying and you will still be safe," said Chirstine.

"That is acutally a pretty good idea," said Nadir.

"I will let you go as long as you let me esort you to this event," said Erik.

"Of course, who else would I go with," said Christine with a smile.

Author's Note: Of course Erik is going to be dressed up as Red Death, what else would he wear, I also have costume ideas for Meg, Madame Giry, and Raoul. I would like to have some ideas for Chrisinte, Jammes, Sorelli, Carlotta, Piangi (in this story he is the baritone, not the tenor), Philippe, and Nadir.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does. Also, I don't own the novel called Phantom, Susan Kay does.

Chapter 6

The next day Christine found herself in the upper levels of the Opera House. She was clutching a letter that was addressed to Raoul in her writing. It said that she wanted to meet him at the Masquerade that the Opera House was hosting in a couple weeks. She hoped that she would be able to show Raoul that she was very happy with where she was right now and he didn't have to worry about her. Right now she was dressed in a dove gray dress that would look plain on another woman, but looked stunning on her and a blood red ruby at her neck. Also her hair was up in a bun with a few curl escaping.

Christine made her way to Box 5 and walked into it. She made her way to the bookshelf that was placed against one of the walls and placed it on one of the bookshelves. Erik told her that once either Madame Giry or Meg found it, they would deliver it to Raoul. She then left the box and walked down the hallways hoping that she would run into Erik so they could go back home. She smiled at the fact that in the short time she was there, she started to see the home under in the Opera House as he own home.

"Christine," called out the voice of someone that definitely wasn't Erik, it was Carlotta.

Carlotta smiled as she walked over to Christine with a smile. Carlotta gave Christine a hug and smiled when she reached the younger woman. "Where have you been, I was worried about my protégé," said Carlotta. Christine had to admit that now that Carlotta wasn't bitter at Christine, she was actually quite likeable.

"I was with Erik," said Christine before she knew what she was saying. I hope that Carlotta doesn't make a connection between Erik and the Phantom, thought Christine.

"Who is Erik," asked Carlotta with a smile. If Carlotta had even suspected that Erik was the Phantom, the she wouldn't be smiling at the fact that she was spending time with him.

"He is my voice instructor and fiancé," said Christine as she blushed. She hadn't really meant to bring up Erik, but she was so happy with the fact that Erik had asked her to marry him. At this point they decided that they would have the wedding before they went to the Masquerade ball. Erik's friend Nadir would be there along with Madame Giry and Meg since Erik had admitted that Annette Giry was his older sister. But she still wondered what Erik's last name because she would like to know what would be the new last name she was going to take up when she was his wife, but so far he hadn't said anything about it.

"You can tell me more about this Erik that swept you off your feet later, there is a reason that I have been looking for you," said Carlotta as she took Christine's hand.

"What would be that reason," asked Christine.

"A famous patron here so she could come to the Masquerade as a way to support the Opera House and she came here today so she could meet the two divas of the Paris Opera House," said Carlotta as she started to lead Christine towards the office of the managers.

"Who is this famous patron," asked Christine, so far the only patrons she knew about was the de Chagney family, but to run an Opera House of that size would have to take more than one patron.

"Madeline Destler, she was a very famous opera singer and the reason why I decided to become an opera star myself. She was the star of many Operas at a young age until she married an English man and went off to live with him in the French country side," said Carlotta as they made their way to the office.

Once inside the office Christine saw two older women along with the managers. One woman was plain looking in a faded dress that she couldn't tell what color it was. She had gray frizzy hair that had a hard time staying in its bun. Across her face were quite a few freckles. This woman can't be Madeline, thought Christine because she couldn't see Carlotta admiring a woman that looked so plain. Her thoughts were confirmed when she introduced herself as Marie Perrault.

She then turned her attention to the other woman and it took all of her composure to keep from gaping at the woman. She looks like me, thought Christine. There were some differences like the fact that Madeline's hair was silver and straight while Christine's hair was golden and was naturally curly. Christine's eyes were deep blue that sometimes looked violet while Madeline's eyes were a bright amber color that reminded her of Erik's eyes. But other than that Christine felt like she was looking at an older version of herself.

"They are both very lovely, but can they sing," asked Madeline.

"Of course," said Richard with a smile.

Carlotta was chosen to sing first, her choice of a song was one of the songs from Macbeth for the role of Lady Macbeth. Now that Carlotta was singing in a role that was better suited for her, Christine could finally see Carlotta's true talent. She is actually quite good when she isn't trying to pretend to be an innocent, thought Christine as Carlotta was singing her song. When the song was done, Madeline smiled and clapped.

Christine stood up and sang the Jewel Song from Faust since it was the song that she made her debut with and Erik believed that it was her best song. When Christine was singing it seemed like every noise had stopped just so they could hear her sing. Madeline just stared at Christine intently without giving away how she felt about how the young woman was singing.

"Amazing, how can such a powerful voice fit in such a small form," said Madeline once Christine was done.

"It is her voice instructor," said Moncharmin. Erik had told her that he had sent a note to the managers to let her take Carlotta's place because she had been receiving training that would make her ready for the stage.

"It is more than that, I am sure that a good voice instructor helps. But a voice like that, especially in someone so young is something that comes from natural talent," said Madeline.

"It also helps that her instructor was her dear Erik who is also her fiancé," said Carlotta. Christine knew that Carlotta was just trying to be helpful, but she had to wonder if it was alright for Madeline to know about Erik.

"You know about a man named Erik that has vast knowledge in music, will he be at the Masquerade," asked Madeline.

"Yes," said Christine who still didn't know it was alright for Madeline to know about Erik.

"I would like to meet your Erik," said Madeline.

"I will try to see what I can do," said Christine before she left the office.

When she was standing in the hallways, Erik walked out of the one of the wall panels and took her into it. Before Christine could become frightened of the dark Erik held a lantern up the level of her eyes.

"Carlotta sounds much better now that she isn't trying to sound like one of the more innocent roles, but you are still better and I am sure that you would be able to pull off any role no matter what," said Erik as they were walking through the passages that would take them to their home.

"You were able to hear both me and Carlotta sing," asked Christine with a smile.

"Yes, I am the Opera Ghost after all, also I refuse to meet that woman you were talking to," said Erik.

"Why, I think that you would like her, you both love music and are very strict," said Christine in a playful sounding voice.

"She is the mother of both me and Annette, she had made my childhood a living Hell just because of the way I looked," said Erik. Christine let out a soothing sound as she clutched his hand hoping that she felt bad for what she had done. "I can't blame you for talking to the woman, but I felt that you had a right to know the truth," said Erik as they continued to make their way to the home under the Opera House.

* * *

That evening Raoul heard someone knock on the door. When he opened the door and saw Meg standing there along with Madame Giry. "A letter for you from Christine was found in Box 5," said Meg as she held out the letter to him. Raoul didn't know why, but Madame Giry didn't seem too comfortable with delivering a note from Christine.

"Thank you," said Raoul before he took the letter. When he opened it, he started to read it. From what he could gather, Christine seemed very happy and she wanted to meet him at the Masquerade Ball. Raoul smiled and hoped that once he was able to meet up with her, he would be able to find out the truth about why she went missing.

Author's Note: I know that at this point in the book Phantom, Erik's mother is dead, but I wanted to have Erik be able to confront her along with a possible reconciliation.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux does.

Chapter 7

Days went by quickly until Christine found that it was the day before her wedding and the masquerade ball. Since Erik told her that it was unlucky and improper for a bride and groom to be around each other he had to take her to the home of Mama Valerius that morning. While Christine thought that it was silly since they had been spending many days together before that day, she found herself agreeing since she wanted to see her foster mother.

When Erik took Christine to the home of Mama Valerius she was able to introduce her foster mother to her angel and fiancé. As expected Mama Valerius adored Erik and she even insisted that Erik call her Mama or Mama Valerius instead of Madame Valerius. At first Christine found this quite funny since Erik had told her that he was forty years old and she never thought that she would hear him ever say a word like mama. But she also remembered that Mama Valerius was about thirty years older than Erik, so it wasn't that odd.

Because of the excitement that Christine felt she didn't know if she would be able to sleep that night, but she was quite surprised to find that it actually didn't take that long for her to fall asleep even if she did miss the presence of Erik. When she woke up early that morning she found out that Meg and Madame Giry were there to help her get ready for the wedding and to escort her to the church along with Mama Valerius.

While Meg helped Christine put on her wedding dress, Meg joked about the fact that Christine was about to become her aunt even though they were the same age. Madame Giry told Christine along with her the Giry family and Mama Valerius, Erik had invited Nadir and the family of a man who helped him make purchases for him were going to be at the wedding. Once Christine had the wedding dress on she turned to the reflection in the mirror and smiled. It was the dress that Erik had placed on the mannequin and Christine could tell why Erik chose this dress for her since it looked quite lovely on her.

"You are making my brother very happy, he never thought that he would ever have a wife, especially not one that would love him as much as you love him," said Madame Giry as she placed the veil on Christine's long curls.

"I love him, I hope that he never feels alone when I am with him," said Christine.

"I know that you will be the perfect wife for my brother," said Madame Giry.

"Speaking of husbands, wives, and weddings we need to get Chirstine to the church so she could get married," said Meg with a smile.

* * *

Madeline and Marie waited inside of a carriage right outside of the home of Christine's foster mother. When it was found out that Christine was staying at the home of her foster mother, Madeline hoped that Christine would lead her to the man that she believed was her son. Ever since Christine told Madeline about this man she called her Angel of Music named Erik, she believed that this man was her son. She remembered Erik's singing voice when he was a child and the only word she could use to describe it was angelic. Madeline tried to talk to her daughter, Annette but the woman refused to even speak to her.

After a few minutes of waiting Christine walked out with her foster mother, Annette, and a young woman about the same age as Christine. That must be Annette's daughter Meg, thought Madeline. Meg looked so much like Annette at this age.

"Why is Christine wearing a wedding dress," asked Marie.

"I remember that Christine told me that she was engaged to her Erik, this must be her wedding day," said Madeline. She wondered what type of wife Christine would be to her son, she hoped that she would be kind to him. When she met her Christine seemed quite kind, but that could be an act. Not that I could really judge her since I was very cruel to my son when he was a child, thought Madeline.

After the small group hailed a carriage and left, Madeline told the driver to follow them to where they were going. As Madeline expected they were led to a church. She knew that Erik would want to be married at a church, even at a young age Erik was very religious. After Christine went into the church, Madeline and Marie got out of the carriage and went into the church hoping that they would be hidden. Aside from the group there was middle aged man along with his wife and two sons, a foreign man, and a man that Madeline knew was her son, Erik.

Like his father Erik was very tall, Madeline guessed that he was at least six feet tall. He had a thin fram that made him seem almost spider like. His slicked back black hair didn't have any stands of grey in it. Madeline suspected that Erik's hair would one day become silver like her hair was now. But the one thing that gave Erik away was the mask that he was wearing.

"Are you going to approach him," asked Marie.

"No, I can't not right now. I just wanted to if Chirstine's Erik was my son and if he was happy now. I don't think that he would want to see me now," said Madeline. She wanted to make up for all of the years of abuse that she gave Erik, but she had to wait until the time was right. Now all she could do was watch as Christine made her way to Erik which caused the wedding to begin while Madeline and Marie were trying to make themselves unseen.

* * *

Erik smiled as she walked towards him. When Erik held her tiny hand in his long thin hand, he thought he saw two women who looked like they were trying to keep themselves hidden. After looking for a couple seconds, he realized that not only were two women were there, but they were his mother and her childhood friend Marie.

At first Erik wanted to drag Madeline out of the church, he didn't mind if Marie was there, but he felt that the presence of his mother would ruin his day. But as he thought about it, he realized that doing this would most likely ruin the day for everyone else especially Christine if he made a scene like this. I won't let her ruin my day, thought Erik.

They ceremony then started and Erik couldn't keep his eyes off of Christine as they exchanged vows and wedding rings. It was so hard for Erik to believe that Christine looked so happy when she was about to shackle herself to this monster for the rest of her life. The couple was then declared husband and wife, even though Christine would use the name Daae for the stage she insisted on taking the last name Destler. Christine Destler, thought Erik with joy as he now realized that she was his wife. The priest told Erik that he may kiss his bride, Erik smiled before leaned towards Christine and kissed her on the lips.

Author's Note: I know that in the book Phantom by Susan Kay Erik claimed to be an atheist, I just wanted to change that for this fic. In the next chapter it will be the masquerade ball and Christine will meet Raoul.


End file.
